For the Love of Seattle Jazz

How seeing Arturo Sandoval 3 years ago is helping with isolation

Ok 2 things. 1: Seattle Jazz is a misnomer. Jimi Hendrix is the most famous jazz musician from Seattle, according to Google and I daresay he wasn’t a jazz artist. Ernestine Anderson and Julian Priester are credited with being Seattle’s most famous in Jazz. 2: I am struggling! This prolonged and continuing isolation due to the pandemic is very challenging for me. Last week I wrote about some of the things I was doing to occupy my time productively throughout this period. This week I struggle. The emotions go up and down, I try to stay even-keeled, channeling my inner Obama, but this unprecedented time we’re experiencing, which will be written and discussed in perpetuity, feels so surreal each day is an unknown. I’m relying heavily on music. Friedrich Nietzsche is quoted as saying “Without music, life would be a mistake.” Agreed, and I’m blessed to like so many different types.

In Seattle visiting friends in September of 2017, we spent a night at Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley, a supper club downtown that was a short walk from our hotel, the Grand Hyatt Seattle http://hyatt.com. Founder John Dimitriou has created a Seattle institution with incredible ambiance and roster of top musicians. I had never seen the Cuban Grammy winner Arturo Sandoval before, though I had heard of him through my best friend, Ricky, a jazz lover and aficionado. What a treat we were in for as the trumpeter, pianist, nearly 70 years old and inspired by the likes of Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker, is on full display with energy that could light the nearby Pike’s Market. The “turn off your phones and all recording devices” announcement was made, but I couldn’t help myself so I put together 30 seconds of what we heard.

Since then, I have 3 of his Albums (Rumba Palace, Swingin and Trumpet Evolution), and play them often during this time, especially when I need a boost. I will tell you, keeping up with this blog is equally challenging. I was hoping to use it to practice and get better as a travel writer, but, with the travel industry and all industries in complete limbo, motivation plays in. Luckily, every 3 weeks is a food blog, of which I have unlimited ideas. Travel, however, another story. I do believe we will travel again, As soon as the world is cleared, it will be the cheapest and cleanest time ever to travel and I can’t wait for that. Until then, it’s one day at a time and allowing music to soothe sure helps these days.

I took a few shots of Seattle when I was there and turned it into a slide show. The Pearl of the Northwest is a must visit and Dimitriou’s will be thriving with the rest of the city when this is over. http://jazzalley.com shows his schedule and current rescheduling of his various acts. Dinner is optional, but my steak chimichurri was delicious as was the entire evening.

Do you have a favorite type of music? Artist?